SUKKUR: President Mamnoon Hussain should write to the apex court to hold a retrial of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto as sufficient evidence and all investigation reports are available to dispense justice in the case.

This was stated by senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader and former interior minister Rehman Malik while speaking to the media at Sukkur airport on his way to Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto on Tuesday to attend the 38th death anniversary programme of Z.A. Bhutto. Several other senior PPP leaders, including former information minister Sherry Rehman and Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, also spoke to the media.

Rehman Malik said that a reference had already been pending before the SC for the retrial but it was not being taken up. The president, he added, should send a reminder to the Supreme Court so that the proceedings could be scheduled.

In reply to a question, he said former SC chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry had keenly taken up certain cases to send home two prime minister belonging to the PPP. It would have been better for him to take up the Z.A. Bhutto execution and Benazir Bhutto assassination cases as well, he added.

Responding to a questioner, the former interior minister said that the matter of Surrey Palace was not referred to a court of law. “If and when this happens, the relevant documents will be brought from abroad and placed before court to judge if Articles 62 and 63 were violated by the owner(s),” he said.

Warning anti-PPP forces against their ‘unlawful and unfair’ activities, Mr Malik said: “We are selflessly serving the masses and if anybody tried to put hurdles in our way, then we know how to respond to them”.

Sherry Rehman told the media that conditions in the country would not improve until and unless justice was dispensed in the Z.A. Bhutto execution case. “We are also anxiously waiting for the apex court’s ruling in the Panama Papers leaks case,” she added.

She observed that the nation needed a leader like Z.A. Bhutto to deal with international forces by readjusting our foreign policies in accordance with the changing political situation.

In reply to a question, she said [Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief] Imran Khan was required to tell the nation about his recent interaction with the chief of the army staff.

Barrister Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, speaking to the media, said that Z.A. Bhutto was the awami leader who gave land to the landless haris, protected rights of the working class through legislation and created great awareness of rights among the masses.

Commenting on PPP’s performance in the previous general elections, Chaudhry Aitzaz said they were not transparent but the PPP accepted the results for the sake of democracy.

Regarding stance of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family with regard to his assets abroad, he said if Mr Sharif’s father had been running his business worth billions of rupees abroad, why the relevant records were not being tracked down.

Stressing that the SC ruling in the Panama leaks case must be pronounced now, he in a light vein said: “If anything is secure in this country, it’s the verdict of this case which is reserved by the court”.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2017